


My Sweet Prince

by chaosminion



Category: Iron Man - Fandom, Loki - Fandom, Marvel, Tony Stark - Fandom
Genre: Blind!Loki, Childhood Friends, Human AU, M/M, Mountains of fluff, Sort Of, Tony and Loki go on many adventures, Tony is a terror as a child, exploring with disabilities, he's also a bad influence, tags will update as this fic grows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 09:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14691183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaosminion/pseuds/chaosminion
Summary: Tony falls out of a tree and makes a friend.





	My Sweet Prince

**Author's Note:**

> *Tosses this ball of fluffy children at anyone who wants it*

When Tony Stark learned that the family moving in next door had a boy his age he was beside himself with excitement. Being the only child on the block was often lonely, and Tony was growing bored with climbing trees in order to peek into other people's windows. He often got into trouble for that. Something about privacy and adults and blah blah blah. All he knew was that Miss Jenkins was a size F, so getting in trouble was worth it.

But another kid his age?! The likelihood of another boy being interested in jumping in puddles and categorizing bugs was at least seventy percent! Maybe they would even want to sneak into his dad's garage with him and look at all the tools to take the cars apart with!

His mother baked an apple pie to welcome the new family. Southern hospitality and all of that. Tony hopped by her side as they walked up the front door, chattering on about what he was going to show his new friend first. Almost as soon as the door was open Tony zipped in, only to be grabbed by the collar by his mother, who had a sixth sense about her boy, and had to _wait_ , by her _side_ , while his mother formerly introduced them.

"And this is Tony," his mother finally said, and the other woman gave him a pleased little smile. She looked tired to him, but that was a small little footnote.

"Can I play with my friend now?" Tony asked, nearly stumbling over his words. "Where is he? Does he like to climb trees?"

Mrs. Jotun looked taken aback. "Ah, your- do you mean Loki?"

"Yes! Loki!" Tony beamed. His friend had a name! "We gotta go, we're burning daylight!"

Maria sighed. "I'm sorry, Tony doesn't know yet. He's also very energetic."

Mrs. Jotun chuckled softly, with a touch of sadness that Tony didn't understand. "I can see that. I'm sorry, Tony. Loki is resting today. The move has tired him out."

"Who gets tired by moving?" Tony asked, not comprehending. "You mean he's still in bed? Tell him to get up, I've got to show him my rock collection!"

"And I'm sure he will be _very_ excited to see it, but you will have to wait until tomorrow," she replied, gently but firmly. "I'll tell my Loki he has a friend waiting for him, and I'm sure tomorrow he will want to play." She bent down to be on eye level with Tony. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Anything, Ma'am!" Tony finally remembered his manners.

Mrs. Jotun's brief smile barely reached her eyes. "Could you watch out for my Loki? He has to take things slower than you. Other kids might make fun of him. Can I trust you to be a good friend, and make sure no one makes him cry?"

Tony had always wanted a pet. A puppy, a kitten, heck, even the green snakes he would bring home from time to time that his mother always made him put back. He had always imagined what that kind of responsibility felt like. From the way Loki's mother was talking to him, he finally knew how it felt to settle that knowledge on his shoulders.

"You can count on me, ma'am!" He answered with all the confidence of youth. "No harm is going to come to Loki, and I'll punch anyone who makes fun of him!"

"That's my boy," Maria smiled, stroking the soft brown curls. She didn't even bother to reproach him, knowing it would go right over his head.

"Thank you, Tony," Loki's mother said, squeezing his hand gratefully. "I'll leave him in your care, then."

Tony didn't get to see Loki the next day. Or the day after. Every day he went over to ask if Loki could play, and his mother would say he was 'resting.' Just how much rest did an eight year old need? That was stupid. Tony didn't have time for stupid kids. So he went back to collecting rocks, and stealing his father's tools, and forgot for a few days about the mysterious boy next door.

It wasn't until he fell out of a tree that grew on the border between the two houses that Tony finally got to meet his neighbor.

It was the usual disorienting fall, turning his senses upside down. But now Tony knew that a branch that thin wouldn't hold his weight. Experimenting. That's what Uncle Pym said made a good scientist.

When his sight finally came back into focus, and he realized he had fallen on the wrong side of the fence, he noticed two things. One, a long stick that was too shiny to have been the branch that broke, and it had a rubber thing on the bottom of it. Two, that the long stick was poking him.

"You scream like a banshee," came a matter of fact voice. "I hope you haven't broken anything. It would be too bothersome to call a doctor."

Tony scrambled to his knees, brushing off the leaves and pushing the polished stick away. He stopped, looking over the boy in front of him, too shocked by the appearance to say anything at first.

The first impression was one of pale beauty that brought to mind lonely imagery of dusty photographs one sees in books. Like a faded picture of a vase of white roses centered on a table in an empty room. It made Tony feel sad for some reason, a melonchy he had never experienced in his life.

The boy was pale, his limbs thin, with jet black hair that didn't do his complexion any favors. The ends curled softly behind his ears, though, and looked like it had been brushed twice that day. His bright green eyes were framed with the longest lashes Tony had ever seen.

Was this kid... a boy?

The stick poked Tony again, right in the chest. "I asked if you had broken anything."

Tony's brain kicked back in. Unfortunately, so did his sarcasm. "Are you a Victorian?"

"A what?"

"You know, a Victorian! From England. With the ruffles around the neck, and the long poofy dresses."

"Do I look like I'm from the Victorian Era?" Loki asked crossly.

"Well, then, are you a Twist?"

"And what, pray tell, is a Twist?"

"You know, like Oliver Twist!"

Loki sighed and folded his arms. "So I look like a bedraggled orphan to you. Good to know. I'll tell mother to update my wardrobe."

Loki's voice and the upscale manner of speech made Tony break out into a bright grin. "Wow, you talk funny."

"And you smell funny."

"What are you doing on the ground? Why aren't you up the tree?"

"Because I'm listening to my story," Loki replied calmly, bringing Tony's attention to the headphones and the cassette player on his lap. They looked top of the line, but well used.

Tony wrinkled his nose. "Listening? To a story? When you could be climbing trees?"

Loki sniffed in derision. "From your vocabulary and enunciation, you could probably do with a few books yourself."

"Nah. Books are boring. I would much rather be climbing trees."

"Funny, it looked to me like you were falling out of them."

"Have to climb before you can fall."

Loki tapped his knee. "I suppose this is true."

A moment of silence settled between them, and Tony realized that this boy was not going to get up any time soon. That was mildly irritating, but then he remembered Loki's mother saying that he does things a little slower.

"So.... what are you listening to?"

Loki wasn't really looking at Tony anymore, but he heard the question. "Alice in Wonderland."

"Ew. I mean, um. What's it about?"

Loki blinked up at Tony, then away again. "It's... it's about a girl who followed a white rabbit with a pocket watch down a hole and ends up in an alternate dimension."

Tony's eyes went wide. "There are books like that?" He scooted a little bit closer. "What's the alternate dimension like?"

Loki's lips twitched at the sound. "Everything that is up is down, and what was down is twisted. Alice eats a biscuit that turns her into a giant, then has to drink a cordial to get as small as a mouse in order to fit through a door."

"But why does she want to get through the door?"

"To find a way home, I suppose."

Tony groaned in disappointment. "Why would she want to go home? The dimension sounds much more interesting!"

"You ought to read it then," Loki replied. He tilted his head when Tony flumped down close by.

"Nah. I've tried. Books are boring. Sitting in one place is boring unless my hands are working on something."

"Your mother must be exhausted."

"That's what all the adults say!" Tony laughed. He didn't notice the slight flush of pleasure give color to Loki's cheeks, like a lightbulb that had been uncovered. "Ok, this was fun, but now let's go look at my rock collection!"

Tony scrambled to his feet while Loki stayed on the ground, looking perplexed. There were leaves in his hair that had drifted down from above, and Tony noticed Loki was sitting on a very comfy cushion with a blanket nearby. Geez, a blanket? In this heat?

"Come on, Loki! I've added three new rocks since yesterday!"

Loki didn't budge. He fiddled with the handle of his stick. "Um. How... how far are we going?"

"Only to my yard."

Loki hesitated, staring at his shoes. His legs were terribly skinny. "I think I had better stay in mine. In case... my mother calls for me."

Tony blinked. What kid didn't want to get away from their mother? His bewilderment only lasted a few seconds, however, as he figured out a solution.

"Ok! I'll bring the collection to you, then! Don't go away!"

Tony dashed off, rounding the corner and ducking through the loose board in the fence to get to his 'secret' hiding spot and grab the box that had the precious rocks. Then he carefully carried them back to Loki. He realized too late the box wouldn't fit through the fence, so he had to take the long way around.

Loki was still in the same spot, silently tearing up a leaf in his lap. He turned towards the sounds of Tony's approach, flinching slightly when the box thumped to the ground next to him.

"Ok, I've got the shiny ones here, the polished ones here, and these have bits of colors, and these I found in different locations than one would expect, so I am working on theories on how they got there."

He watched Loki's face with excitement, but it didn't change much. The boy was looking the box over, not really taking interest in one pile or another. Tony felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Don't... don't you like rocks?"

Loki shrugged. "I suppose. When they aren't tripping me, that is."

He reached inside and picked one up, seemingly at random. It was one of Tony's favorites, with the green and red swirled together. "Like that one?" He asked, showing off his teeth.

Loki gave a little shrug. "I... I guess," he said softly. His thumb was rubbing the edges, finding the surface cool and smooth.

"Great! Then you can have it!" Tony exclaimed.

"Are... are you sure?"

"Yeah! It can be our friendship rock!"

That startled Loki, and he looked up in surprise. "A... a friendship rock? Are... are we friends?"

"Course we are friends, silly."

"Oh..." Loki silently put the rock in his pocket, vowing to keep it forever. It burned with something like hope. "Thank you. Um.... what's your name again?"

"Pff, I'm Tony. My name is Anthony, but I hate it, and only my mom and Jarvis call me that when I'm in super big trouble."

"Who is Jarvis?"

"My dad's right hand man." Tony went on some more about his classifications, but realized Loki wasn't paying much attention. "What sort of things do you like to collect?"

Loki thought about that a moment. "I collect sounds."

Tony's brow wrinkled. "Sounds? Like... like music?"

"No. Like sounds. Listen."

Loki closed his eyes, and Tony was forced to swallow his question. For the first time in a while, he stopped, and _listened_.

First thing he heard was the soft shush of the cars on the road, but it was faint, like a waterfall in the distance. Once that faded from his consciousness, he heard the wind in the leaves, in the flower beds, the grass quivering before the breeze. Then he heard the scurry sounds of animals. There was a bird in the corner on the fence, and Tony hadn't heard its song until that moment.

"It's just outside," he finally said, breaking the silence.

Loki smiled. "Yes. Outside. I like the sound of outside. It sounds alive. Like the earth is breathing."

"That's... weird. Earth doesn't breathe. It's a planetary sphere suspended in space."

"What is breath but the collective inhale of thousands of working lungs? And how do we know something is breathing unless we listen for it?"

Tony didn't know how to answer that, but the hypnotic sound of Loki's voice entranced him, and he watched the boy listen for a while. It didn't even occurr to him that he had been sitting in one place for quite some time. He was perfectly content right where he was.

Finally Loki opened his eyes. "There. Now I know the sound of you breathing. I'll put it in my collection, next to the banshee scream."

For some reason, that little bit of knowledge filled Tony with such delight. That something as ordinary and simple as the sound of his lungs was forever in Loki's memory. It was special.

"You're really funny," Tony grinned, and Loki heard the happiness in his voice. "I like you a bunch. Hey, want to see my secret base? It's just around the fence, come on!"

He leapt to his feet, not taking no for an answer this time, and tugged on Loki's wrist to get him up. Loki resisted, however, trying to pull back with a small cry.

"N-no, I- I think I need to stay here, in case-"

"We won't be gone long, and if your mom calls for you, I can hear her, trust me. Come on, Loki, I want to show you!"

With a mighty heave he pulled Loki up to his feet, but the other boy wasn't ready for it, and he stumbled, finding his balance, but almost as soon as he was up, Tony was racing away for the hole in the boards.

"Come on! You just duck through here and-"

"Tony? _Tony_! I- I need my cane!"

The sheer panic in the young voice made Tony stop and spin. Loki was standing at an awkward position, his arms braced out in the air like he was expecting to catch something. Then he dropped to his knees, fumbling about in the grass by the cushion. Tony noticed the cane was behind his knees.

"It's.... it's right there," he started to say, but Loki was growing more frantic the longer he couldn't find it.

"I need it.... Tony, I need it."

Tony took careful steps back, watching with a dawning trepidation that he had missed something vital in their interactions. He knelt and pushed the cane towards Loki's hand, and the boy snatched it up, holding it to his chest and he quivered, gulping in breaths to calm down.

He wouldn't look at Tony. For a long time, neither boy said anything.

It all clicked into place. Loki hadn't made eye contact longer than a second or two. He had jumped when the box had made an unexpected sound. He had chosen a rock at random. And he didn't want to leave the back yard.

Tony felt like such an idiot.

But Tony Stark had made a promise. He was going to keep it.

"Ok. How about this. I hold one end, and you hold the other."

Loki glanced up, his eyes filled with worry. "What?" He sounded like no one had ever made such a strange suggestion before, and couldn't fathom it.

"Like a train! You know what a train is, right?"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Good, great, then you hold onto this end." Tony got up, this time waiting for Loki to stand on his own, then took the rubber end of the cane.

"And I'll take this one. I'll tell you what to step over, ok?"

Loki had expected many things, but he hadn't expected Tony to blatantly ignore his disability, suggesting that Loki could actually do normal things like.... like climb through a fence.

"If, if my mother sees I'm gone..."

"Then she will scream your name with increased hysteria, at which point we will pretend we didn't hear her, and come back like nothing happened!"

Tony's enthusiasm was _so_ catching, and Loki really _did_ want to go to the secret base. Hesitantly he nodded, and followed the tugging of the cane into the unknown.

Tony was an excellent guide, Loki discovered. He described in detail what was in front of them, and when Loki needed to step over the board, when to duck under, and how far. If there was something in the way, Tony would touch the cane to it, so Loki could feel it's location. Before he knew it, Loki had escaped from his own back yard, and the one next door had a different feel to it.

It was exhilerating! Loki's eyes kept darting around, even if he couldn't see anything, and when Tony told him to duck, he was pulled into what was obviously a smallish, enclosed space. The sides felt like wood, and Loki could hear the trees right outside.

"Dad helped me build this when he was home last summer," Tony explained with obvious pride. "We used spare boards from the porch our neighbors built. It leaks when it rains, but I'm going to learn how to thatch a roof."

Loki was smiling in wonder, carefully inching around the walls with his hand, mapping out how big the room was. The floor was stomped dirt and grass, and it smelled like youth and adventure. His mother was going to get irritated with grass stains on his clothes, but for once, Loki didn't care. Not like he knew how the grass stains looked anyway.

"This is.... great, Tony."

Tony had been thinking about an obvious problem. "You like it? Cuz I'm going to make a rope line from the fence to the door, so you can find your way here whenever you want."

If Tony had asked Loki to marry him, he would have been less stunned. Loki turned, found where Tony was sitting with his cane, and sank to the ground next to him.

"You.... you would do that?" He asked in a whisper.

"Sure! That's how people do it in snow storms, you know. Can't see your hand in front of your face, and to get between buildings they used to-"

"No, that's not what I mean. You would... let me come here, by myself?" He spoke in such a hushed whisper, that Tony barely heard him.

Suddenly Loki curled his knees up to his chest, in a familiar position that screamed of insecurity. "I didn't tell you. Why... why aren't you mad at me? Why are you bringing me here, to your personal space, and... helping me?"

Tony wasn't entirely sure that 'I like you' was an acceptable answer. It was the truth, but something so simple wouldn't appeal to the intelectual Loki.

So he leaned in with a smile. "Because... you're a kid like me. And kids are supposed to have fun."

For as long as he could remember, Loki had been told be careful. He had never been told have fun. It opened up the world to him, releasing chains of anxiety and fear he had no conscioussness of carrying with him everywhere. All because a little boy fell out of a tree at his feet.

Loki looked up, sightless eyes swimming. "Can I... can I touch you?"

"Um." That was new. "Sure?"

Loki's hands came up, reaching out, and Tony kept as still as possible, though he giggled a little when the cool, pale fingers brushed along his cheeks, his eyebrows, and his ears.

"That tickles. What are you doing?"

Loki kept feeling, from the top of Tony's wild hair to the collar of his shirt. "I'm getting to know you."

Tony scooted closer, took Loki's hands and squished his own cheeks with them. "Like this?" Except the words came out "Ryke vish?"

It was so ridiculous, so funny, Loki started laughing, and once he started he couldn't stop. The sound drew in Tony's laughter, and the two friends couldn't stop the avalanche. The y kept laughing and laughing, rolling against one another in fits, and once it started to abate, Tony would make another ridiculous noise and the two would start all over again. Loki was laughing so hard his sides were starting to hurt, but it was such a wonderful new experience that he didn't mind the pain.

Maria heard the laughter from the backporch merely seconds before Jarvis opened the door and admitted Loki's mother, who rushed in with a terrible frightened look on her face.

"I can't find Loki! I left him in the backyard with his cassette, but I don't know where-"

Maria stopped her with a finger on her lips, then beckoned Lotty with her out to the walk in the yard, pointing torwards the cluster of trees where Tony's base blended in. At first Lotty didn't understand, but when she finally caught the sound of two sets of giggles she pressed a hand to her mouth, gasping in shock.

Then she was burying her face to Maria's shoulder, shaking with quiet sobs. "You were right! You were right!"

Maria smirked to herself, patting the other mother fondly. "I often am. I told you my Tony would take care of him." She had known that Tony's kind heart would reach out to the lonely boy without a second thought.

The two friends were on their backs, their giggles tapering off into an amiable silence that stretched on, though neither minded. To Loki he was marveling that he ever gone so long in another child's presence without them feeling sorry for him. For Tony, he was watching Loki's chest rise and fall, thinking about the sound of breathing.

"I've never had a real friend before," Loki said, his hand trailing over the grass beneath them until it came into contact with Tony's. Then his fingers started dancing over Tony's knuckles. It was weird, but nice, especially since Tony didn't pull away.

"I have tons of friends," Tony announced. "But they're all..." he flickered his hand up in the air. "Light. Floaty. They like to come over for birthdays, but no one hangs out. When I heard you were moving in, I was excited."

"For me?" Loki asked, astonished.

"Yeah! Because we can hang out! We get to have all sorts of fun together!"

Loki scowled in disappointment, and sighed. "Tony, I can't-"

"Then we experiment! Think about it," Tony sat up on his knees, but his face was still close enough that Loki could feel the stir of his breath on his cheeks. "Uncle Pym says that kids are just mini scientists. We explore the world around us in order to figure out how we fit in. You can't see the world, but that doesn't mean you can't explore it. We will just pretend we are in a dark cave, or something! We can build rope lines for you to get from your back yard to here, and maybe to my house, and anywhere else you want to go!"

Tony sounded so pleased with himself, and Loki couldn't fault his logic. If he knew the way, and he had his cane, Loki could expand his limits, test his wings.

"It's not just my eyes, Tony," Loki admitted, returning his stare to the ceiling. "I'm not well. I never get to play outside when it's too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. I'll catch pneumonia again."

"Gazeunheit?"

"It's serious. I was really sick when I was five. I.... I had a fever." Loki's voice got very soft, as if he had never told anyone about this before. "I spent months in the hospital. I was too weak to walk for a long time. It spread to my eyes, and..."

He swallowed hard, hating the few tears that spilled out the sides of his useless eyes, feeling the shame for crying in front of his new friend. But then a warm hand settled on top of his, and there was no reproach in Tony's voice.

"That's how you lost it, huh?"

Loki nodded, not risking his voice. Finally he sniffed and brushed his cheeks with the hand that Tony wasn't holding. "Mother doesn't trust me alone for long. I don't really know how much exploring we can do."

Tony thought of that for a moment, then shrugged, flopping on his back again next to Loki. "You wanna know the best part about being my friend?"

"I'll always have someone poke with my cane?"

"No silly. I'm really good at escaping. I'm also really good at keeping away from adults, and super good at getting out of trouble. Stick with me, kid, we act first, beg forgiveness later. That's my motto!"

Loki snickered, feeling joy galavanting around in his stomach. Tony was going to be absolute trouble. But he was right, it was the best part.  
"I'll risk my mother's wrath and go exploring with you, if..."

Tony turned his head. "If?"

Loki turned to look back, and even though he couldn't see Tony, he savored how close they were. "If sometimes you'll sit with me in the garden, on days when I'm not feeling well, and read to me."

Tony turned that idea over. "Only if they're cool books. Books like jumping into rabbit holes and entering alternate dimensions."

"Have you heard of the one where four siblings find an entire world at the back of a wardrobe and break the spell of an evil ice witch with the help of a talking lion?"

"That sounds awesome!"

"There's also the books where a man traveled around the world in a hot air balloon before there were airplanes, and he only did it in eighty days and won a bet. I think you'll like Jules Verne."

"Whatever you want, Lokes."

There was a long, startled pause. "What... what did you call me?"

"Lokes? It's your new name."

"Loki isn't short enough?"

"Nah. And when I'm being a brat, I'll call you Loke-Loke."

Loki groaned and covered his face. "Oh please. Anything but that!"

Tony snickered. "I knew you would like it. Now come on, let's sneak back to your place before your mom discovers your pillow is empty. You're good at being quiet, you're already a professional sneaker. I'll teach you how to steal cookies next."

With the help of his new friend, Loki made it back to his back yard, but it no longer felt confining. No, there was a new world available to him now, that he had access to whenever he wanted. In a single day Loki had added many sounds to his collection. The sound of Tony laughing. The sound of his gentle instructions. The sound his shoes made over grass. The way his words seemed to smile when he was happy.

And in his pocket, carried like a treasure, was their friendship rock.

Loki's mother had followed Maria's advice. She went back home, watched from her back window, but once she spotted the boys returning she went back to her work, pretending like she hadn't seen them. When she called Loki in for dinner she noticed the bright red spots on his cheeks, and the relaxed way he smiled and greeted her. If Tony had been anywhere near, she would have kissed the blessed boy.

Moving to the country had been the best decision she had ever made.

**Author's Note:**

> Encourage me, I may or may not continue this. It's a gift for my lovely teckmonkey!! BECAUSE SHE'S LOVELY AND WE SPOIL HER UNCONDITIONALLY.


End file.
